DALLAS — As their dads scurried around the rink after their boys’ morning Edmonton Oilers skate, you didn’t have to read coach Ken Hitchcock’s mind to know what the new man was thinking, because he came right out with it.

“They’re my age and that’s a little scary,” said Hitchcock, on the first stop of his Coaching Reunion Tour with St. Louis upcoming Wednesday on the 13th day of his Oilers job. “And when they’re younger than me … that’s really scary.”

Alas, Hitch turns 67 eight days before Christmas so, he’s considerably older than most of them. Darnell Nurse’s former pro pass-catcher dad Richard is 51. Matt Benning’s ex NHL defenceman/father Brian is 52, such is life in today’s NHL where there are a whole lot more 23 and 24 year-olds playing than 33 and 34 year olds given or take the odd, Jason Garrison on the Oilers.

“I coached one of these dads (Benning) and I watched Kris’s (Russell) dad all the time, every time I’d go to an outdoor rodeo he was the clown … he was the guy fighting bulls,” said Hitchcock. “I saw Darnell’s father play in the CFL. It’s pretty neat. The scariest part for me going back to Edmonton is I met a player who played midget hockey for me (Sherwood Park) whose grandson played exhibition games in the NHL. That shows how long I’ve been in the damn business.”

Actually, the scariest part of being coach of the Oilers was driving on the highway Sunday to get the charter here with the snow and the ice. It was a white-knuckler for him. Coaching in Dallas, Columbus, Philly and St. Louis in the winter is nothing.

Hitchcock, who will keep his place here through the winter because he doesn’t know how this Oilers coaching gig will work out, stopped by to pick up a few suitcases full of clothes. He’s lost more than 80 pounds on the keto diet and doesn’t have a lot of suits or dress shirts that fit him these days, but he’ll get by. He’s happy and healthy in Edmonton, wherever.

He started his NHL head coaching career in Dallas 22 years ago and won a Cup in 1999, so this place has as soft spot for him. He coached 585 games here.

“We loved it here and when you’re here at the starting point that’s something. We (Stars) started a program that led to minor hockey and led to the building of rinks and a terrific triple-A program,” said Hitchcock. “I’ve got friends in the Western Hockey League who have a number of players from Dallas in their programs.

“It’s not just winning games or championships here, it’s the growth of the game. I think our legacy, the players and the management group from back then is going to a minor-hockey rink and seeing it packed.”

In his first go-round as Stars coach he leaned on Mike Modano and Brett Hull to get them to be two-way players. Last year, Tyler Seguin was his pupil.

“I’m proud that I coached him hard and up and stuck with him,” said Hitchcock. “Every time he thought the coach was on his back that he would have to go and play right wing which he hated, I would stick with him. After two months, he punched through and came out the other side to be the player he is now. To me that’s coaching.

“Pushing people is what we do, trying to get them through walls. But as long as you stick with them, they usually get through those walls. He stuck with us and and we stuck with him and at the end, you’ve got an unbelievable player.”

The Stars have one of the NHL’s top half dozen lines with Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alex Radulov. They don’t have the glitz of say Nate MacKinnon, Mikko Koskinen and Gabriel Landeskog and Colorado or the high-powered Patrice Bergeron (currently hurt), David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand in Boston, but the Stars trio has all the ingredients — Seguin’s speed and shot, Benn’s size, toughness and smarts and Radulov’s underrated strength to fight off checkers.

“When they’re dialled in, they don’t just beat you with skill, they beat you with work,” said Hitchcock. “Those are three players who can play right through you. It’s a tough match-up for us, heck, all teams. I’ve seen teams try to play five checkers against them and it doesn’t work because they can’t get it out of their own end and I’ve seen skill vs skill and it doesn’t work either.

“There are lines maybe more top-end skill-wise but there’s no line that has their combination of work and skill. You have to play simple against them and if you make one puck-error they take advantage.”

When my assistant said there was a call from the White House, I picked up, said 'Hello' and started to ask if this was a prank

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